Part 1. Review of the year. BMW 2012

BMW Online Vehicle Showroom

Check out our online showroom to get a detailed look at all the new BMW vehicles for sale at BMW of Bakersfield. It has all the info you need, and more!

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BMW xDrive vs. snowcat

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Engine oil

Checking and changing oil is critical to keep today’s engines running properly and efficiently. Follow manufacturer guidelines for changing the lubricant – generally, every 3,000 miles or three to six months.

Check the oil level with the engine off and the car parked on a level surface. Open the hood, remove the dipstick, wipe it clean with a cloth or paper towel, then return it to the oil reservoir. Take it out again and see whether the level is within the acceptable range marked on the dipstick. If you add oil, don’t overfill, which can damage the engine.

The BMW M6 Gran Coupé. Highlights.

Build Your Own Ultimate Driving Machine

Check out our "Build Your Own" feature online!  You can customize your very own ultimate drving machine and then get a price quote, without having to leave our website.  This is a pretty neat feature for those who know exactly what they want!

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BMW 4 Series Goes Long and Low

BMW models have been growing lower, longer and softer, as if they were being heated up, then gently tugged from each end. The new Concept Four released in advance of its appearance during press days at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January is longer, lower and less angular than the current 3 Series coupe, whose successor it seems to be.

It continues trends supervised by Karim Habib, who directs BMW brand design. Mr. Habib is credited with the current 7 series (Adrian van Hooydonk heads up design for the entire BMW Group as senior vice president).

The new model is also the beginning of a new and possibly more confusing numerical nomenclature for BMW models.

The company said in its release that “BMW has given the new model its own individual character and a stand-alone design – and, in so doing, has turned “4” into segment shorthand for aesthetic and dynamic appeal. The latest addition to a nomenclature that sees BMW building on the fine tradition of its large BMW 6 Series and BMW 8 Series Coupes, the “4” stands for greater sportiness, greater exclusivity and even clearer differentiation from the BMW 3 Series range.”

The 3 Series coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe models are to become 4 Series, with an added image of luxury and exclusivity, much as the sportier models of the 5 Series came to be denoted as 6s. In essence, all the coupes will be even numbered, but the company has not announced a formal change in its model naming policy. “For now, that’s the evident pattern but it’s not a rule,” Matthew Russell, a BMW spokesman, said in an e-mail.

At first glimpse the Concept Four seems most to resemble the 6 and 7 Series tweener called the Gran Coupe. It is Munich’s entrant in the four-door coupe contest to rival Mercedes CLS and Audi A7.

Representing the fourth generation of the 3 Series coupe, for more numerical confusion, the concept is very close to production, judging from comparison with past BMW show cars. It therefore also offers an important look at the overall themes of the evolution of the company’s 3 Series.

The critical theme of the new design is the shifting downward of air handling areas. The familiar kidney shaped grille is there, but the company says it is closed off. The serious business of feeding the engine takes place in a lower apertures whose form follows the LED headlights. These lower air vents are echoed in striking angled exit shapes along the rear valance, which will probably be toned down in the production model.

The metal frames and other details are executed matte metal. The current “double swage” theme of side character lines is made more striking. It leads to visual focus on the large rear fenders expressing BMWs traditional faith in rear-wheel drive.

Also on the side just behind the front wheels are new large parentheses-shaped side vents, which the company called air breathers. They appear to offer aero benefits and resemble the air curtain in front valance that smoothes air flow over front wheels.

Inside the car, familiar BMW forms are carried out in the idea of layering of information. The concept has attractive brown and black leather along with a lush chestnut wood.

The really cool braided leather cupholders are probably a designer’s whimsy for the concept vehicle. And if the flush door handles make it to the factory it will be a surprise as well.

Information about engine options and other beneath-the-skin facts will have to wait for Detroit’s press scrum.

Courtesy of wheels.blogs.nytimes.com

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Engine coolant

Replace most engine coolant or antifreeze every 30,000 miles – or every two to three years. Newer formulas, however, may last up to 50,000 miles. To check coolant level, turn the car off and wait for the engine to cool. Locate the coolant reservoir (usually a translucent plastic tank) and eyeball the level of the coolant against the full and low indicators.

BMW Concept 4 Series Coupé.

BMW 2013 328i Coupe Lease Incentive

Lease: $329 per month for 39 months. $3,804 due at signing

    $2,250 cash back
    $3,804 cash due at signing

    Offer only valid 11-01-2012 through 1-02-2013

Disclaimer: Loyalty Lease is based on the 2013 328i Coupe equipped with Premium Package and 6-Speed STEPTRONIC Automatic Transmission at no charge. MSRP as equipped is $43,195. $1,650 Dealer contribution and $2,250 Lease Cash are required for the $329 monthly payment. Lease Cash includes $750 (Loyalty Bonus Cash) and $1,500 (Holiday Bonus Cash). $3,804 due at signing. Tax, tags and insurance are extra. Must finance through BMW Financial Services. Available with approved credit. Offer provided by BMW Financial Services.

2014 BMW 3-series Gran Turismo Spy Photos

What It Is: The 3-series Gran Turismo, a hatchback version of the BMW 3-series that isn’t a regular wagon. (It’s confusing, we know.) This car features a long, sweeping roofline and elongated side glass that terminates with an upwards kink that reminds us more of the Honda Accord Crosstour than the detail made famous by a certain Wilhelm Hofmeister. Judging from these pictures, the Gran Turismo will be taller than the 3-series sedan. In an earlier piece on this car, we generously called the roofline "low and sleek”; we now largely recant that statement.

The 3er GT also features a more upright grille than does the regular sedan, and the headlight detailing has been modified; the strip connecting them with the kidneys has become thicker. The lower front fascia is new, featuring a blocky, fan-blade-like plastic strip above the lower air intakes unless you opt for the M Sport package also pictured here. The taillights are unique, and there is a weird boomerang-y, vent-type substance behind the front wheels that is probably fake, just like the one on the upcoming 4-series coupe and convertible. Could this car eventually be called the 4-series GT? It's possible.

Why It Matters: BMW is hoping to duplicate the success Audi enjoys with the low-slung, Euro-market A5 Sportback, although this pseudo wagon segment also includes less successful stuff like the Crosstour and the recently discontinued Acura ZDX. Stylistically, the GT looks uncomfortably close to the Crosstour, instead of emulating Audi's sleek Sportback models. Complementing the 3-series sedan and station wagon as well as the 4-series coupe and convertible, this new model proves that no niche is too small for BMW to chase other automakers into. Perhaps it will convert a few customers who still think station wagons are uncool.

Platform: The new GT shares its platform with the F30 3-series and its derivatives. Rear- and all-wheel drive will be offered. We predict this car won't have the complex, heavy, and relatively useless split-hatchback arrangement of its bigger sibling, the 5-series GT.

Powertrains: The F30 platform offers a number of powertrain options, ranging from 1.6- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesels and 2.0-liter gasoline engines to 3.0-liter inline-six diesel and gasoline engines. Theoretically, it also could house the next M3’s powertrain or that of the ActiveHybrid 3. We expect a four-cylinder 328i and a six-cylinder 335i, in addition to the Europe-only 320d and 330d.

Courtesy of CarandDriver.com

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Brakes and brake fluid

Check to ensure that brake fluid levels are within tolerance. How often you need to replace brake pads or other components depends on how you drive and typical driving conditions. Warning signs of a brake problem include noise, vibration or “grabbing” when you apply the brakes. Working on your brakes is a job probably best left to the professionals.

Great job team! We've earned a five star review!

"They will definitely work with you if you have bad credit, or no credit.  My credit is awful, but I drove off in a Mercedes!" - Luke G.

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